Cargo container with drain construction



June 11, 1968 TURPEN 3,387,734

CARGO CONTAINER WITH DRAIN CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 22, 1966 51-23 I: .8118 l I .F1g 3 H} l M Ml 39 INVENTOR.

RUSSELL L. TURPEN BY w tts ate 3,387,734 CARGQ CGNTAHNER WITH DRAIN CONTRUTIN Russell L. Tiarpen, North Richmond, alif., assignor to Compass Container Company, Inc., Richmond, Calih,

a corporation of (Ialifornia Filed Aug. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 574,128 5 Qlaims. (Cl. 220-4) This invention relates to cargo containers in general, and is more particularly directed to a built-in drain construction therefor which serves to prevent water leaking through roof edge joints from entering the interior of the container.

Cargo containers of the type employed to facilitate the bulk shipment of items with a minimum of handling are typically of metal framed plywood construction. More particularly, there is generally provided a rectangular peripheral frame of welded longitudinal, transverse, and

vertical rails of steel, or the like. Plywood panels are peripherally secured to the rails to provide a closed structure. In addition, hollow elements of rectangular cross section are provided at the corners of the frame, and the exterior walls of these element have apertures for receiving bolster heads or handling implements such as the hooks of a lift harness. Usually, the upper longitudinal and transverse rails are of hollow substantially rectcngular cross section and secured at their ends to the previously noted corner elements. The upper rails of the frame are provided with inwardly projecting horizontal flanges at positions downwardly spaced from the upper faces thereof. Such flanges serve to peripherally support the roof panel of the container and facilitate securance thereof in flush relation to the upper surfaces of the rail with the side faces of the panel abutting the inner side faces thereof. The joints between the side edges of the roof panel and upper rails are conventionally sealed by means of a coating of suitable mastic such as butyl rubber applied to the upper surfaces of the panel and rails in bridging relation to the cracks therebetween. The joints are thereby originally rendered Watertight, however after a period of extended use the mastic deteriorates and water is able to leak through the joints into the interior of the container. Such leakage, of course, cannot be tolerated inasmuch as it is damaging to the items carried within the container.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved cargo container including a drain construction adjacent the joints between the roof and peripheral frame of the container, such drain construction including drain gutters disposed to receive water leaking through the joints and drain same exteriorly of the container to thereby prevent the water from entering the interior thereof.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a cargo container drain construction of the class described which can be readily integrally incorporated with the upper rails of the frame and communicated with the apertures of the upper corner elements to facilitate the drainage of water therethrough.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a h cargo container drain construction in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken at line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale taken at line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary and broken away view on a reduced scale of the corner taken at line 4--4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawing, FIGURE 1 in particular, there is shown the upper portion of a cargo container featuring a drain construction in accordance with the present invention. The cargo container includes a metallic frame having upper longitudinal and transverse rails 11 and 12 adapted for the securance of plywood side panels 13 and a plywood roof panel 14 thereto. The rails 11, 12 are preferably of hollow substantially rectangular cross section and respectively provided with downwardly extending rectangular side flanges 16, 17 flush with exterior side faces thereof. Ends of the rails 11, 12 are secured to right-angularly intersecting faces of a hollow rectangular corner element 18 with the flanges 16, 17 being flush with the exterior faces thereof. The corner element includes upper and lower end closure walls 19, 21, however the upper wall is provided with a central rectangular window 22 which affords access to the interior of the element. The exterior side walls of the corner element are provided with apertures 23, 24 which extend downward to the lower wall 21 and are adapted to receive the hooks of a lift harness, or the like. The window 22 provides for the ready manipulation of the hooks into position.

The rails 11, 12 also include horizontal rectangular flange structures 26, 27 which extend inwardly from the inner side walls of the rails at positions downwardly spaced from their upper faces. The flanges 16, 17 facilitate the ready securance of the side panels 13 to the rails while the flange structures 26, 27 facilitate securance of the roof panel 14. In this regard, there are preferably provided stud bolts 28 projecting inwardly from the flanges 16, 17 and upwardly from the flange structure 26, 27, The bolts extend through apertures in the side and roof panels and receive cap nuts 29. With the side panels thus secured in position, they abut the lower faces of the rails 11, 12. The roof panel abuts the inner faces of the rails and is flush with the upper faces thereof. In order to prevent water from leaking into the container interior through the joints between the roof panel and rails, such joints are sealed as by means of coatings 31 of mastic, such as butyl rubber, which bridge the cracks between the side edges of the roof panel and the inner faces of the rails.

It will be appreciated that to the extent described to this point the cargo container is substantially conventional. As mentioned previously, however, a problem exists with conventional containers in that the mastic coatings for sealing the joints between the roof panel and upper rails of the frame are effective for only a limited period of time. After extended service and exposure to the elements, the mastic deteriorates such that water is able to leak through the roof joints into the interior of the container.

In accordance with the basic aspects of the present invention the foregoing problem is overcome by the provision of a drain construction adjacent the joints between the roof panel 14 and rails 11, 12. The construction includes drain gutters disposed to receive water leaking through the cracks between the edges of the roof panel and rails and to convey the water to outlets exteriorly of the container. In this manner the water is drained by the gutters and prevented from entering the container interior. Although the gutters may be variously provided, they are preferably integrally incorporated in the rails 11, 12. More particularly, the horizontal flange structures 26, 27 are formed to include rectangular strip gutter base portions 32, 33 projecting horizontally inward from the inner side faces of the rails 11, 12 adjacent their lower edges. The base portions terminate inwardly in right-angularly upwardly projecting rectangular strip gutter side portions 34, 36 which are thus in parallel spaced relation to the inner side faces of the rail. The gutter side portions extend upwardly to positions short of the upper faces of the rails and thereat terminate in right-angularly inwardly projecting rectangular flanges 37, 38. The flanges 37, 38 are thus downwardly spaced from the upper faces of the rails 11, 12 and separated from the inner faces thereof by channel shaped gutters defined by such inner faces and the gutter base portions 32, 33 and side portions 34, 36. Thus, when the roof panel 14 is positioned upon the flanges 37, 38, the panel is flush with the upper faces of the rails 11, 12 with the gutters subjacent thereto. The panel bridges the gutters and the panel side edges abut the inner faces of the rails. The cracks between the panel and rails hence overlie the gutters which consequently receive any water leaking through the cracks.

The ends of the rails 11, 12 are welded to the inner side Walls of the corner element 18 and the gutters are thereby terminated in sealed relation. To facilitate drainage of water from the gutters, the inner side walls of the corner element include apertures 39, 41 having their lower edges flush with hte upper surfaces of the gutter base portions 32, 33. Water thus flows from the gutters through the apertures 39, 31 into the interior of the corner element and then out through the apertures 23, 24. In this manner, the leakage accumulated in the gutters is drained exteriorly of the cargo container.

Most desirably, the gutters are formed out of one integral sheet of metal and are an integral extension of the inner side of their associated rails. This assures that the only welded joints in the gutters are those between the gutters and the corner elements. Because of this substantial lack of welded joints, the chances of a leak from the gutter into the container due to a poor joint are minimized.

What is claimed is:

1. A cargo container comprising a frame including upper longitudinal and transverse rails, a roof panel peripherally secured to said rails, and a drain construction including gutters disposed adjacent the joints between the periphery of said panel and said rails to receive water leaking therethrough, said gutters having exterior outlets.

2. A cargo container according to claim 1, further defined by said gutters being integral portions of said rails.

3. A cargo container according to claim 2, further defined by said frame including a hollow rectangular corner element having side, top, and bottom walls, said longitudinal and transverse rails with the integral gutter portions thereof terminating at right-angularly intersecting inner ones of the side walls of said corner element, said inner side walls of said corner element having apertures communicating said gutters with the interior of said corner element, exterior ones of said side walls of said corner element having apertures extending downward to the bottom wall thereof serving as said exterior outlets of said gutters.

4. A cargo container according to claim 1, further defined by said rails being of hollow rectangular cross-section, each rail having a horizontal rectangular strip gutter base portion projecting inwardly from its inner side wall adjacent the lower side wall thereof, said base portion terminating at a right-angularly upwardly turned rectangular strip gutter side portion in parallel spaced relation to the inner side wall of said rail, said gutter side portion terminating short of the upper side wall of said rail in a right angularly inwardly turned horizontal flange, said roof panel disposed on said flanges of said rails with the peripheral side edges of the panel abutting said inner side walls of said rails.

5. A cargo container according to claim 4, further defined by a hollow rectangular corner element having side, top, and bottom walls, said longitudinal and transverse rails having ends welded to right-singularly intersecting inner ones of the side Walls of said corner element, said inner side walls of said corner element having apertures with lower edges flush with the upper surfaces of said gutter base portions, exterior ones of said side walls of said corner element having apertures extending downward to the bottom wall thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,205,826 6/1940 Small 220--84 THBRON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. J. B. MARBERT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CARGO CONTAINER COMPRISING A FRAME INCLUDING UPPER LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE RAILS, A ROOF PANEL PERIPHERALLY SECURED TO SAID RAILS, AND A DRAIN CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING GUTTERS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE JOINTS BETWEEN THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PANEL AND SAID RAILS TO RECEIVE WATER LEAKING THERETHROUGH, SAID GUTTERS HAVING EXTERIOR OUTLETS. 